At 08:35 AM 4/10/2003 +0200, you wrote:
>Yes, Fernando, I am talking about the same Socorro Dove project which was
>started by Juan Martinez and Luis Baptista.
>According Juan, the military service on Socorro Island is very cooperative to
>support the project and helps to eliminate feral cats from the island. In
>January of this year, they had a meeting to plan the construction of breeding
>aviaries on Socorro island. Thus, it looks like that re-introduction could be
>started within the next years.
>Juan is concerned about the genetic purity of those SDs kept in the USA. With
>mean of genetic analyses he found many birds which were descendants of
>Socorro/Mourning dove hybrids. Thus, he is especially counting on doves from
>Europe.
>We at Birdpark Marlow participate in the European Breeding program of the
>SD. We
>keep nine breeding pairs and want to check them for genetic purity. We make a
>combined approach by integrating genetic, morphological and bioacoustical
>studies.
>Genetic analyses should be most reliable. However, since nobody (to my
>knowledge) has processed SD blood before it became extinct, how should one
>know
>how a pure SD looks like genetically? Thus, one has to be cautious with the
>interpretation of genetic data and base the comparison on more than one
>parameter.
>We have a master's student who has just started with the recordings of our
>SDs.
>
>Any donations of sound recordings of the Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) for
>reasons of comparison would be most appreciated. You can be assured that they
>are only used for conservational purposes.
>
>Best thanks
>Martin
Fernando y Martin:
I can provide Zenaida macroura (MODO) calls from eastern USA and a few from
elsewhere, in WAV format, free of charge as an email attachment.
But calls from nearer the Islas Revillagigedos would be far more relevant
to species ID I would think, in that evolution of species isolating
mechanisms might have been involved.
MODOs are likely the commonest bird species in the lower 48 states, and
their calls vary enough to make ID with other members of the Genus
problematic in some locations. For example in the US Virgin Islands one
frequently hears Z. aurita calling in a slightly different pattern, but so
similar that North American birders write down "Mourning Dove" on their
lists unless it is pointed out that the birds have more white in the wing
and truncated tails and thus cannot be Z. macroura. I can also provide
calls of Z. aurita from this area as well, for comparison (or, you could
just buy EnjoyBirds and see and hear all this for yourself without my
editorials, ;^0).
The reintroduction raises more serious questions than I like:
The widespread tropical White-winged dove, Z. asiatica sounds quite
different from either of the other Zenaida for which I have recordings, as
it is higher and an altogether different pattern, but possibly more like Z.
graysoni? This species' sound and spectrum is also on EnjoyBirds.
The only visual field mark I have for the Socorro Dove is more rusty
underparts as compared to Mourning Dove. Is this truly the only
difference in appearance?
Did Z. graysoni also occur on Roca Partida and San Benedicto? If so when
was it extirpated?
Does Z. macroura now occur on all three of the Islas Revillagigedos? If so,
I would worry about the classic case of superior competition by a
generally-adapted mainland species against any attempted re-introduction of
the island endemic. This could wind up like the Northwestern Crow, which
many of us believe has now been completely genetically swamped out of
existence by the more widespread American Crow.
my best regards,
Marty Michener
MIST Software Associates PO Box 269, Hollis, NH 03049
EnjoyBirds.com - Software that migrates with you. http://www.EnjoyBirds.com
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